For the Sake of My Brother
by tinedanzer
Summary: Rumble and Frenzy in G1 IDW Universe during the Decepticon reign. Frenzy is insane and Rumble makes a friend with similar problems. When this new friend has a positive influence on Frenzy's insanity Megatron's favorite little demon of destruction becomes less effective in battle. Drastic actions must be taken to restore Frenzy's nightmarish mania.
1. Chapter 1

"Will it hurt?" She had looked at Rumble with such fear and hope in her eyes. She had trusted him. She was trusting him still. He had the feeling she was still clinging to the vain idea that maybe he wouldn't go through with it after all. She should have known him better than that by now.

"Nah. It'll be quick. I promise. You'll just… you won't even know it happened," he was lying. It would hurt like the Pit, but only for a few seconds while her sensory information systems shut down. If he aimed right, the relays carrying pain signals would never reach her brain. Because it wouldn't be there to reach. Her body would spasm and jerk for a few minutes while all her internal functions shutdown, succumbing to the eventuality. It happened the same way everytime. He shrugged. He really didn't want to do this, but if he'd left it to anyone else… well… the other Cons would have dragged it out. Made her hurt for a long time before they finally ended her. At least this way, she wouldn't suffer.

But he would.

"I can't believe—I mean I _still_ can't believe that Master Megatron would think I'm so much of a threat, just because I talked to your brother." She was shaking her head again, staring at the floor. Staring at the drain in the middle of the room.

He had taken her to the aptly dubbed "slaughter house." A large, square room with gradually sloping floors that lead to a drain intended to catch all the biological fluids spilled when the human insects were terminated. And the occasional Decepticon miscreant. The walls and ceiling were lined with the same easily cleaned tiles as the floor, making cleaning a breeze. A hose was mounted to one wall that could stretch the length of the room and all a mech had to do was spray off the affected areas. Killing made simple. If there was one thing Decepticons were good at, it was killing.

"Can you…" she shifted, peering at him and working up the courage for whatever it was she wanted to ask. He waited. She bit her lip and then forged ahead, "Can you do me a favor, then?"

Wasn't he already? He narrowed his optics at her for a moment. He was, after all, making sure she didn't suffer before she died, wasn't that favor enough? But then, the whole thing had been his idea after all, so in a way, he was the reason she was here in the first place. The things he did for his twin! He cycled air through his vents in a huff, "Maybe."

"If, I mean, _when_ , I'm gone, there won't be anybody to watch out for Mikey. He doesn't have any friends. You know, because of how he is."

"You want me to take care of your brother?" Because watching out for Frenzy wasn't enough? What was she thinking?! Now she wants him to add her fleshbag brother to his long list of problems? Maybe it was better that she was being put down, she obviously thought there was more between them than there really was. Like there had been some sort of shared responsibility or something.

Well, in truth… there kinda had been. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for his bright idea, after all. She had been so good for his twin, though. It really helped—took some of the pressure off him the way her presence had soothed Frenzy's mania. Even now, he could feel his brother calling out for her.

"I don't have anyone else to ask," she said simply, a look of defeat pulling her face into such a sad little frown. It actually tugged at his spark. In her place, he would have begged for someone to look out for Frenzy. Oh, sure, there was Soundwave, and the other tapes, but Frenzy was _his_ twin. Which made the other tape _his_ responsibility. Rumble was always the one to calm him during the worst of the fits. Rumble was the one who served as the lifeline that kept his brother online. Rumble was Frenzy's one, tenous link to the sanity denied him directly. Rumble was the one who had brought the girl to see him.

He huffed through his vents once more, reluctantly resigned, "Alright. I'll do what I can." It was the least he owed her. But it wasn't a real commitment—that just wasn't his style. Reaching behind his shoulder, he pulled his plasma cannon from its mount on his back and charged it up. It was hard to look at her now. "Anything else?" He kept his gaze on the weapon instead.

"Tell Mikey I love him, and I'm sorry that I had to go away." Rumble nodded, of course she'd want some platitudes given to her twin. "And tell Frenzy goodbye for me."

He looked up at that one, surprised etched in his widened optics and slack jaw. Frenzy was having one of his more lucid moments and was listening in across their spark bond. He could feel the puzzlement coming from his brother. Why was she saying good bye, being the unspoken question. Where was she going?

 _Primus_ , this sucked.

"Yeah," his vocalizer was a touch staticky. "Okay."

"Well, I guess I'm ready, then." She swallowed hard. "When you are."

Rumble busied himself looking over his weapon for a moment. He **_really_** didn't want to do this. But if it wasn't him, she would suffer, he reminded himself. He raised the cannon, taking careful aim.

"Huh. This is the first time _ever_ that I don't want to pull the trigger," was the last thing she heard.

"Hey, Mikey." Rumble walked up to the brown haired boy from the side, giving him a chance to turn and gaze at the mech speaking to him now. His sister said he was unsettled when people approached him from behind. _Hook_ had a way with the boy, maybe the tape could get off easy after all. He really wanted to distance himself from the fleshbag, he looked too much like his sister. "Remember me?"

"Rumble," came the slow, carefully enunciated reply.

"Yeah, Rumble. That's right." He shifted his weight uncomfortably. The human insects weren't supposed to look any Con in the face, but he already knew the boy stared at the floor for an enirely different reason. He was autistic. Sarah's twin had difficulty making eye contact with anyone—human, mech, it didn't matter. In some ways his disability made him a perfect worker for the Decepticon army. And then there were those days when his routine was upset somehow and he threw what, for all intents and purposes, appeared very much like a temper tantrum. She'd said it was just how he expressed fear of the unknown. Today, his routine was about to be completely upended and turned inside out.

Sarah was dead.

Rumble had terminated her.

"Where… Where is Master Hook?" The boy's brown eyes flicked up to the purple badge on Rumble's chest armor. He seemed to be tracing the design with his eyes. The tape shifted his weight again, feeling awkward under the bizarre scrutiny.

"He's in the med bay like he always is about this time. Nothing changed there, Mikey." Rumble frowned at his clumsy attempt to reassure the boy. "Hey, listen. Um. Your sister isn't gonna get you this cycle, okay? I'm gonna take you home. Do you understand Mikey?" He cocked his head to one side, peering down at the slow storm of dismay crossing that human face.

"Why?"

"She's…" When did this get hard? It had never before been difficult to tell one fleshbag that another one had been offlined. There was a certain _finesse_ in the telling that made their display of emotions entertaining. But not this time. "She's… not coming, Mikey. Ever."

"Did she leave?"

"Yeah. She left."

"Where did she go?"

"Far away from here."

"Can I go?"

"No, Mikey. You can't go." _Not yet, anyway_.

"When is she coming back?"

"She's not."

There was a long pause. The boy was studying his badge again. "Okay."

Well that went better than he had expected. Rumble stood still, watching the boy return to his circuit cards. His deft little fingers managed the micro welds as expertly as any well tuned drone. Mikey had impressed quite a few weapons experts with his ability to follow schematics and piece together the intricate electronics pieces. Hook had taken a special interest in his abilities and pulled the boy off the main work floor giving him a test bench in a quiet corner of a small office off the med bay. Rumble wondered just how much of that had been Sarah's influence. She could be quite persuasive. _Had been_ , he corrected himself.

At the beginning of every solar cycle, the Decepticon medic set up the equipment for the boy, laying out the schematics for what he would be working on and left him alone to work. He never seemed to need anyone watching over him. He did everything at the same time, bathroom breaks, meals, and so on. Hook was pleased with the boy's adherence to such a strict schedule. It was convient for the Con. Did the mech have any true idea of the boy's condition? Surely he'd have noticed by now.

Mikey suddenly stopped all that he was working on and put his hands down to his sides. Without looking at his audience, he asked, "Is there more?"

 _Direct little fragger_ , Rumble thought to himself. _Just like his sister is. **Had been.**_ "No." The tape turned and left. Walking down the corridors to the main work rooms, his thoughts wandered to Sarah once more. He had been bored the day he met her. Well, singled her out, was more the way it had happened…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I have, as of late, become completely enamored by AVP fanfiction. You can thank my bff Ms. Kaydeeblu for that. It's all her fault. I have several story ideas in the works, but I have found that there is a great deal of research to be done before I can write a decent story in that fandom. Patience, I'll get there. I would like to thank my frined B. A. Gemar for pointing me in the right direction for my research and her patience in answering my overwhelming plethora of questions regarding AVP cannon. Hop over and read her stuff, she has an incredible trilogy entitled Legendary. Starting with "Cold Hands" and the currently running "The Unforgotten" and ending with "Inhuman," which has yet to make its appearance on fanfic. I am a huge fan, and you should be as well! She is a specatcular author and story teller. Go give her some love!

 **Chapter 1**

"Hey, are you looking at me?" She hadn't been, he was just aiming for something to do. Rumble stepped in front of the girl with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Average and slender, she blended in with all the other insects, she just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and no other reason prompted his attention on her. Her large brown eyes widened at the accusation.

"No!" she protested rather loudly. And then startled by the force in her own voice, she took a small step backward.

"Are you calling me a liar? I saw you looking at me!"

"N-no… Lord… I didn't…" her voice trailed off and her head dropped forward shaking silently from side to side. He was getting to her, this would be fun.

Rumble did a quick scan on the female before him. Her pulse quickened, blood pressure rose, muscles tensed, electrical pulses raced up and down her nervous system. She was terrified, it was exquisite. He straightened to his full hieght, towering over her with a mischevious grin. But then his scan picked up something new. A small electrical device in her pocket. The Decepticon frowned, grabbed the girl's upper arm and yanked her closer to him. Leaning down, he fished into her blue jeans pocket with one large digit and pulled out a small, flat rectangle. Holding it between thumb and forefinger, he asked, "What is this?" He knew well what it was, but the question made the fleshbag squirm.

Keeping her head tilted forward, her gaze fixed on the stolen prize. "M… mp3 player, Lord."

"MP3 player," he echoed. "That's for music, right?" She nodded, her eyes never waivering from the device. He subspaced it. "You insects _aren't_ allowed to have electronics." Her eyes flicked up, _almost_ to his face, and then dropped back to the floor. "It's mine now." He reached behind pulling one of his large cannons from its mount on his back. Making a show of examining his weapon, he taunted, "What am I gonna do with you…"

He expected her to beg. He expected her to plead. He expected her to cry. He expected her to barter.

"You won't shoot me." Defiance. He _hadn't_ expected that.

He stopped what he was doing and stared at her for a moment. Open defiance. It was written in the way she clenched her fists, in the way she glared at the purple badge on his chest armor, in the way she stood with her feet planted defensively, knees bent and back straight. _Alright_ , he thought, _I'll play along_. "And why _not_?"

"You would have done it by now." Well that just took all the fun out of it. Maybe he _should_ shoot her.

"Oh, really? You must some kind of psychic if you know what I'm gonna do before I do!" Bending into a half crouch, he leered into her face, "What am I gonna do _now_?"

She turned her head aside, mindfully avoiding looking at him directly. Her posture softened as she leaned back on her heels away from the mech. "You always pick on us when you get bored," her tone was meek, but her words were something else altogether. "I've seen you do it before. That's all."

Rumble released her arm, noting with satisfaction that it was already turning purple where he had gripped her. She rubbed at the bruises gingerly, keeping her gaze appropriately diverted. An idea struck him. This little insect was managing to stand her ground, she could be a source of entertainment for a few cycles. "You're gonna do some extra duties— _for me_." Her eyes widened and she dropped her gaze to the floor again. "After your work cycle, you come see me. Cause if I have to _go find you_ … I'll be sure to drop off this little mp3 player with an overseer first. Are we clear?" She nodded. "Get outta my sight."

 **~R~**

Sarah did not disappoint. As the crowd was clearing from the work room when the shifts changed, Rumble found the insect standing before him, hands clasped tightly in front, gaze on the floor while sneaking peeks up at him when she thought he wasn't looking. The mech was reclined on a short, wide dividing wall that stretched between two pillars in the enormous work room, his back pressed against one of concrete structures. Pulling one of his cannons from its mount, he tossed it to the floor in front of her.

"It's jammed," he said simply.

She stared at the weapon as though it might bite her. "My Lord, I don't know anything about these things," she prostested, wringing her hands.

Rumble nudged the cannon toward her with his foot, "It's easy really. You just use those tiny little digits of yours to reach inside the chamber and dislodge the casing. Nothing to it."

Her eyes flicked up toward his face before snapping back to the weapon at her feet. Losing his patience, the tape mech kicked the cannon into her legs hard enough to make her stumble and curse.

"My brother is really good at this kind of thing, actually—"

"This," he held the music player in her line of vision, "wasn't your brother's. _You_ owe me." He waved at the cannon, "Fix it."

"I… I really don't—" her words cut off when the Con drew his arm up for a backhanded swing. She dropped to her knees on the floor and began searching for a way to open the chamber of the weapon.

Rumble watched her for a moment before giving her a clue, "Pull the slide back."

Her eyes flicked up before she blinked them back down again. He cocked his head, she was really struggling with not looking him directly in the face. It was kinda funny to watch her catch herself and force her gaze back down. Finding the slide on the side of the rifle, she tugged first with one hand then with both, finally using her feet to brace against the back of the grip while struggling to lock the slide to the rear. As soon as she heard the soft click of success, she collapsed onto her rear on the floor with a gust of exhaled air. The Con's smirk widened. Now comes the really fun part. He had intentionally caused the casing to jam inside the chamber and it was cocked in there pretty hard. Not to mention the plasma residue inside the chamber would burn if she touched it.

The insect studied the open chamber briefly before striding to one of the workbenches. She picked up a pair of long metal shears and proceeded back to the weapon on the floor. To his surprise, she wedged the shears into the chamber at just the right angle underneath one end of the stuck casing and gave it a quick, hard yank. With a metallic ping, the casing popped out and clattered on the floor next to her. He stared. Clever little imp.

It was at this point the the possibilities opened up the the mech's CPU, but he would need to put her to one more test.

 **~U~**

Upon arrival after the next work cycle, Rumble held out a datapad. It showed details of a specific datachip he was particularly desirous of. She studied the diagram and asked one question. "Where is it?"

"The medbay," he grinned. Hook _does not_ like the insects. He absolutely would not allow one to just walk in and take this coveted datachip. Ravage, with all his stealth technology, could not achieve this goal—not in Hook's medbay, that is.

"And you want this as soon as I get it or do you want me to bring it to you tomorrow?"

The Decepticon leaned into her personal space, "What do _you_ think?"

She nodded and imediately departed. Rumble folded his arms across his chest, his face plates displaying a smug smirk. This would end one of two ways: Either she would no longer be his—or anyone's—problem, or he would get his prize. It was a win-win.

When the human female trotted up to him a while later, he scanned her expecting to discover her failure. But she had the chip, snuggly pressed into her shirt. Along with a few other items of contraband. The tape mech held out his hand, allowing her to place the datachip in his palm. Holding it up to the light, he smiled appreciatively. _Finally_. But there was another matter at hand that must be addressed immediately. This little imp thought she was pulling a fast one on him. He needed to assure her that it would not be tolerated. Subspacing the chip, he held his hand out once more, giving his fingertips a give-it-over twitch.

She stared at his hand, her eyes slightly widening. "You only asked for the chip, my Lord."

"Right. But that's not all you lifted from Hook, now, is it?"

A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as her eyes flicked up toward his face and back down to the outstretched palm.

"Before I frag you and smear your tiny little body all over this room."

She exhaled loudly and pulled two flat, rectangular, plastic boxes from her shirt, and with much reluctance, placed them on his palm. Rumble curled his fingers around the small cases, nearly pinching her hand in the process. "Why?" He didn't really care about the why, he just wanted to watch her squirm and make up excuses. This was the fun part.

"They're two of my favorite movies," her head hung low. "I don't have any way of watching them, but I just couldn't bear to let them be destroyed. I found them in the contraband pile that Lord Hook had waiting to be incinerated."

Movies. Visual entertainment that the fleshbags engaged in pre-Decepticon rule. Curious what could be worth the monumental risk she had taken, he examined the cases. "These are about aliens that kill humans." He peered at the girl. "You don't get enough of that already?"

She snickered. " _Those_ aliens died in the end." She glanced upwards, not quite meeting his gaze and quickly amended, "They weren't Decepticons, obviously."

"I doubt that your kind could have conceived of a conquering force like us," he sneered. "We rule the galaxy, after all!"

She nodded silently, keeping her gaze low. "Are… are you going to give them back to Lord Hook?"

"And tip him off that I've got this?" he held up the datachip. Shaking his head, "No way! Listen," he lowered his tone conspiritorially, "I've got an idea. I need you to box up a fire ant nest. Actually, as many as you can find. I need _a_ _lot of ants_!"

She blanched. "Ants?"

"Yeah. Ants." His optics narrowed with mischief over his wide grin. " _Lots of them_."

"May I ask why?"

"You'll see. Just bring them to me after your next work cycle." Nodding slowly, she turned to go, but a question tugged at Rumble's thoughts. "Hey," he held his hand out to stop her retreat. "How did you get into the medbay without Hook slagging your aft?"

Jerking her thumb over her shoulder, she answered, "My brother." He shifted his weight, waiting for a further explanation. "Mikey works for Lord Hook in the medbay. He builds circuit cards for him."

"That doesn't explain how _you_ got in there."

She sighed, "I have to bring Mikey in and take him home everyday."

"He can't do it by himself?"

"No."

"Is he malfunctioning?"

"Kinda. I guess. He has autism. He gets freaked out by changes and stuff. So, I make sure he gets everything he needs to stay… _functional_."

"If he's malfunctioning, he should be terminated."

Sarah cringed, swallowed hard and lifted her gaze to the Decepticon's chest armor. " _For a human_ , he's brilliant at building Lord Hook's circuit cards. He does it exactly the way Lord Hook wants it done. His autism makes him very… um… particular. Lord Hook likes how meticulous, my brother can be."

"Oh." A fleshy that can be as obessive as Hook. It figures. No other _Cybertronian_ could be that OCD.

 **~M~**

Sarah balanced on an overhang, waiting. A small comminication device rested on her shoulder, clipped to the collar of her shirt. "Not yet. Wait for it. 'S gotta be timed just right…" came the tense voice of the Decepticon tape. In her hands, she clutched a large glass jug, which would have been filled with sun tea at any other time, but was currently filled with three fire ant nests engaged in a vicious battle of dominance. Sarah, herself, was covered head to toe in small welts.

"What, _exactly_ , am I waiting for, Lord Rumble?"

"Dirge."

"The Seeker?" she whispered hoarsely. From his vantage point, he could clearly see her eyes widened with alarm as she shifted further back into the shadows.

"The Conehead."

"Whatever you want to call him— _are you serious_?"

" _Yes. I. Am_."

"Let me guess: You want me to drop this jug of ants on Lord Dirge's head."

"On his big, fat, conehead!"

"I'm so dead."

"You'll be fine."

"I'll be dead."

"Yeah. Probably. But it'll sure be funny."

"I'm so glad my death will amuse you."

"He'll only kill you if he sees you. Keep yourself hidden and you'll be okay." There was a definite thread of annoyance in the mech's voice. Didn't she realize how funny this was going to be? It would be so worth it! And if the flier slagged a human insect—so what? They were expendable anyway.

"I have a better idea."

"I doubt it."

"There's a cleaning service that is comprised of humans. They go through _all_ the Decepticon's quarters, right?"

"So what?"

"They clean Lord Dirge's quarters too, right?"

"Yeah. Again, _so what_?"

"Lord Rumbe, can you get me on that cleaning detail for a day?"

"Why do you wanna clean quarters? Those humans don't get treated very well. I _almost_ feel sorry for them sometimes. Especially the ones that have to service the Seekers' quarters."

" _Think_ about it, Lord Rumble. If I can get into Lord Dirge's quarters, I can dump the ants _in his berth_!"

A slow, devious smile spread across the tape mech's face. "I _like_ the way you think."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I've run into a major writer's block with this one. I'm open to suggestions. I have an idea of where I want this to go, it's just the _getting there_ part I'm having trouble with. I need more pranks and antics for these two to bond over. And at some point I want to involve Frenzy, albeit vicariously. Leave me some suggestions in the reviews or PM me. I'd love to hear what you all think.

On a brighter note, since the sequel to Slow Burn is nearly finished, I've begun posting that story as well under the name Slow Turn. It's a tentative name-also open to suggestions.

Enjoy! Reviews, critiques, and even flames are welcome!

 **Chapter 2**

" _Oh my god_ , did you see how mad he was?" Sarah was trying so hard not to giggle out loud. Her tiny human face was turning red despite her best efforts. "I thought was miserable with all these ant bites. That was _so awesome_!"

Rumble glanced down at the human, smoothing his face plates into a carefully neutral expression. "Shhh!" She nodded, continuing to walk alongside the tape mech. Reaching for the key pad on a door leading off the main corridor, he ushered her through and into his shared quarters. As soon as the door slid closed he launched himself onto the nearest berth, howling with laughter. Sarah collapsed on the floor next to him, cradling her stomach as she broke into a fit of giggling.

"The look on his face was priceless!" Rumble howled. "You should have seen it, Zee!" he called over his shoulder.

Sarah sprang to her feet, her face suddenly pale, eyes wide, and mouth agape. The tape stared at her a moment, his laughter dying down into chuckles. "What?" He glanced behind to what she was gawking at, and turned back to the human. "What?" he repeated.

Catching herself, she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor after a quick side glance at Rumble. "I-I didn't realize there was… I mean, I thought this was… I didn't know you had a roommate."

"Oh. That's just Frenzy. My twin," he shrugged.

Following proper protocol, she bowed low, "I am pleased to serve you, Lord Frenzy."

"Get up," Rumble cycled air loudly. "You're wasting your breath. He's not lucid. He doesn't hear you."

"Wha-what do you mean, 'not lucid?' He's looking right at me."

Shaking his head, "Nah. He doesn't see you. He's watching the nightmares in his head."

"The what?"

"He's psychotic. _Deranged_. And he's seeing _crazy things_ right now." The mech tapped a digit to the side of his helm.

"He's…"

"Yeah. His core processor emits a high pitched frequency that causes violent hallucinations in everything around him. Including, and especially, _in him_ ," Rumble watched the girl edge back toward the door. "It's turned down real low in between battles. S'long as you stay over here, it won't effect you."

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I've got shielding against it. We _all_ do," Rumble swept his arm wide indicating the six other berths in the room, including the small one on the very back wall where Frenzy sat with a maniacal grin. His head was tilted forward so that his brow ridge, optic visor, mouth, and jaw line all formed a series of wide, sociopathic V's that paralleled each other down his face, lending him a demonic visage. Leaning forward slowly, he gripped tight to the sides of the berth on which he sat, making the metal squeal in protest. The sane mechanoid chuckled again as Sarah shivered at the sound.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice almost a whisper, "That must be tough."

"Eh. You get used to it. He has his good days. This is one of his bad ones, though."

"Oh. I understand."

That struck a nerve, " _Do you_?" Rumble leaned down invading her personal space. " _Do you_ understand, fleshbag?"

Her spine stiffened, "Yes, actually, I do. My _twin brother_ has autism. He's not psychotic, but he's not normal, either. He also has his good days and his bad ones. And on his bad days, _I_ have to calm him down so that Lord Hook _won't kill him_!"

The tape mech cycled air through his vents with a soft huff. Slowly leaning back, he studied the human before him. "There was a time when Frenzy was normal. We did everything together. We were best friends. We could read each other's thoughts. Litterally. I know you humans don't have that, but Cybertronian twins do. It's a rare connection between our sparks that allows us that bond. And then Hook did something to him—said he was weaponizing him. He's never been the same since. I can still hear him, hear his thoughts, but they're so jumbled up. Most of the time it doesn't make any sense. Sometimes it's outright scary, the slag he comes up with." Rumble frowned at the girl. "I don't know why I just told you all that."

She turned facing the Decepticon, careful to keep her gaze on his chest armor. "Because it helps find someone who understands."

He nodded slowly. Silence reigned for a few moments before he spoke again. "You can look at me. It-it's okay. There's no one else here. Zee don't count, he can't tell anyone anything. He don't speak anymore." The girl's eyes flicked upward tentatively before settling on the floor. "Hey," he said leaning forward, hands on his thigh plates. "Go ahead. Look at me." She shook her head, and his frown deepened. "Suit yourself."

"Soo…" a small smile quirked at the corners of her mouth. "The ant dance…" Rumble chuckled. Emboldened, she continued, "I had no idea he could move like that!" The tape mech grinned nodding. "Who knew the Seekers were ticklish! I guess all those fire ants nibbling on his wiring and circuitry…" Rumble giggled, mimicking the ailing Dirge's frantic wriggling and whimpering as seen from the med bay while retrieving Sarah's twin. "And Hook was so mean about it!"

"That was the best part!" Rumble yelled out, "Hook yelling at Dirge for getting the ants all over his medbay!" He fell back onto his berth laughing out right.

"It was definitely a good show!" Suddenly turning serious again, Sarah queried, "Hey, um… _Lord Rumble_ …" He rolled up on one elbow, facing her, "Is he gonna be able to trace that back to me? I mean, I have never been on the cleaning crew before, so, that might strike someone as unusual. And if he discovers who put the ants in his recharge berth…"

Shaking his head, the grey and red mech answered, "Nah. I never put your ID into the system. You were never actually assigned to the crew."

"What about the members of the crew? They might remember me."

"Did you talk to any of them?"

"You told me not to."

"Then they won't really remember you. Besides, if they do, I already adjusted your quota for the day. Officially, you were working on the line like always."

"That's good to know."

"Hey, if he can trace it back to you—it's only one step further to get to me," Rumble assured her. Of course, he could always deny that he knew anything about the ants. Placement on the cleaning crew was considered a punishment by most of the humans, he could always claim she'd mouthed off to him and needed some correction. But something deep within his spark seemed to squirm at that thought.

"So," she was getting more daring, her gaze rising, tentatively approaching his own—but not quite there yet. "What's next?"

"What makes you think there's a next?"

She snickered, "Because that was too much fun!" Her face brightened with a mischief that nearly matched his own.

An emotion ghosted through Rumble's processors that he hadn't encountered for… what seemed like an eterninty. In fact the last time it had come to call, Frenzy was sane. Comradeship. This impish little human insect was offering herself as a "partner in crime" of sorts. Well, maybe more like an underling—far, far _under_ -ling. He smirked to himself at the thought. "That depends. Whose the next victim?"

"Hmm," she screwed her face into dramatic thoughtfulness, one side pulled up into a smirking grin. "I'm sure you've got a long list of Decepticons who need some payback, right?"

Narrowing his optics at her, head tilted dangerously forward, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on! I've seen how you get pushed around. Don't get me wrong, you can obviously hold your own, but getting picked on sucks regardless." She glanced up, finally meeting his gaze but quickly dropping it back to the floor. "I'm just saying," shifting her weight in a fidgety manner.

Rumble favored her with a grunt, keeping his narrowed glare focused on her. She was toeing a dangerous line at the moment.

"What I meant was…" she continued with her submissive display, eyes glued to the floor, "There must be someone you don't like that needs an attitude adjustment." Her eyes daringly met with his, "Someone other than me, right now."

The Con felt a smirk tug at his lip components despite himself. "Yeah, I can think of a few."


End file.
